Improvement in locks for prison-doors



I. A. QUESNEL.

LOCKS FOR PRISON nouns.

No.186,060. Patented Jan.9, 1877.

N.FE ERS, PHDTO-LITHOGRAFHER. WASHINGTON. D C

UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

JOSEPH A. QUESNEL, OF ARTHABASKAVILLE, QUEBEC, CANADA.

IMPROVEMENT IN LOCKS FOR PRISON-DOORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 186,060, dated January9, 1877; application filed August 26, 1876.

. drawings.

My invention relates to a safety-lock for prisons, reformatories, andother houses of detention; and consists in the combination of twolock-bolts, having each its key and keyholes. One of the hey-holes ofthe lock is placed at the middle of the box-case, and the other key-holeat the lower part of the boxplate, the whole in such a manner that theturnkey, in order to open a cell-door, gives two turns of the outsidekey to open the upper bolt, while a detent falls into the hole of theupper edge of the upper bolt; and, by the falling of the detent, asaforesaid, the key becomes fixed and at a stand in the lock. Theturnkey, in shutting the lower bolt with the other key, causes a springto enter into the notch of the upper bolt. By this means the turnkeyprevents any one from shutting the upper bolt, and puts an insuperableobstacle to the removing and carrying away of the keys.

The object of my invention is twofold: the first to force the turnkey tonot forget the keys in the lock of the cell-door, and the second moreparticularly to prevent the prisoners from escaping.

Figure 1 represents the inside mechanism of the lock. Fig. 2 representsthe box'case. Fig. 3 represents the box plate and case.

A represents the metal case or body of the lock, consisting of a strongrectangular box, having one of its side plates removable, and having inits opposite sides two key-holes, e and f, arranged as shown, so thatthey do not stand opposite to each other. D represents a slidinglocking-bolt mounted horizontally in the lower part of the case A, andguided at its rear end on a rib, E, which is secured to the inside ofthe case and arranged to enter a groove in the end of the bolt, asshown. F represents a common pivoted tumbler for locking the bolt D,located between the bolt and the side plate of the case, and operated bymeans of a key inserted through the keyhole e, for the purpose ofthrowing the bolt D, (the key being omitted from the drawings.) Grepresents a spring seated in the guide E, and bearing on the tumbler F,to cause its proper action. J represents a second looking-bolt, mountedin the upper part of the case, and guided at its rear end on a rib, E,as shown; and F represents a common pivoted tumbler, mounted by the sideof the bolt J, to lock the same. The bolt J and tumbler F are operatedby means of a common key inserted through the key-holefand rotated inthe usual manner. In the edge of the bolt J there are two notches, a andb, for the bit of the key to act in in throwing the bolt, instead ofone, as usual, the parts being so arranged that the first rotation ofthe key causes its bit to engage in the notch b and move the bolt halfthe required distance, while on the second rotation the bit engages inthe notch a and moves the bolt the remainder of the distance. Krepresents a pivoted arm, bearing against the bolt J and urged forwardby a spring, L, which is made of such strength as to prevent the boltfrom being pushed back by hand.

As shown in the drawing, the forward movement of the arm is limited by astud, c, on the inside of the case. To the upper side of the lower boltD there is secured one end of a flat spring, I, which has its free endcurved upward against theinside of the front end of the case, as shown,so that as the bolt D is thrown forward the end of the spring is forcedupward into a notch, d, made for the purpose in the upper bolt J, so asto lock the latter in position.

M is a detent or stop, seated in the top of the case and urged downwardby a spring, N, by which it is caused to enter a hole made in the upperbolt J, so as to hold the latter back automatically whenever it is movedinward. The stop or detent is located on the outside of the lock, theside which is to be placed outside of the cell, and serves, by lockingthe upper bolt inward, to fasten the bit of the key in the notch a sothat it' cannot be removed, and also to hold the bolt J until theforward movement of the lower bolt causes the spring I to enter thenotch d. The lock being affixed to the cell-door with the keyhole f onthe outside, and both bolts thrown back, is locked by raising the stop Mand allowing the arm K to throw the bolt J forward half its distance,and then inserting a key through the outside key-hole f, and throwingthe bolt thereby the remainder of the distance.

To unlock the door, the key is inserted from the outside and given twoturns to throw the bolt back the full distance, the stop M falling intothe bolt and looking it fast within the case, so as to prevent theremoval of the key from the outside. The cell thus unlocked is enteredand locked from the inside, by inserting a second key into the innerkey-hole e, and throwing the lower bolt, the forward movement of whichalso causes the spring I to enter the notch d of the upper bolt and lockthe latter, so that it cannot be thrown nor its key removed from theoutside.

The spring I, in addition to holding the upper bolt back, also serves,when the upper bolt is thrown, by coming in contact therewith, toprevent the lower bolt from being advanced by the prisoner within thecell.-

I claim as my invention- 1. In a cell-lock, the combination ofaspringbolt, J, having its key-hole on the outside of the lock, anoutside detent, M, to hold said bolt back, and a dead-bolt, D, havingits keyhole on the inside of the lock, substantially as shown. a

2. In a cell-lock, thecombination of the upper spring-bolt J, having thenotch d, the outside detent M, and the lower dead-bolt D, provided witha device, I,to enter the notch d, substantially as and for the purposesdescribed.

3. In a cell-lock, the combination of the spring-bolt J, having the twonotches a b to receive the bit of the key,vand the automatic detent M,serving to lock the bolt back, and thereby prevent the removalof thekey.

JOSEPH AUGUSTE QUESNEL.

Witnesses:

THOMASaBARIUS, t Clerk of the Grown in andfor the District ofArthabaska. U. M. PoIs'soN,

J. P. Q. Coroner.

